The Sweetener Users Association (SUA) represents American food and beverage manufacturers who use sugar to make the products U.S. consumers know and love – from sweet treats to everyday staples like bread, pasta sauce, yogurt and peanut butter.

Sweetener Users Praise Legislation to Modernize U.S. Sugar Program

Washington, DC (November 7, 2017) – American food and beverage manufacturers today applauded introduction of the Sugar Policy Modernization Act – bipartisan legislation introduced in the House and Senate that would fix the flawed U.S. sugar program. Introduced by Representatives Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Danny Davis (D-IL) and Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Pat Toomey (R-PA), the legislation has already been endorsed by dozens of cosponsors in the House and Senate.

“The Sugar Policy Modernization Act does it all. It will help American businesses of all sizes, consumers, workers and families – without costing taxpayers,” said Rick Pasco, President of the Sweetener Users Association (SUA). “It is very rare that Congress has the chance to consider legislation that will do so much for so many. We applaud Representatives Foxx and Davis and Senators Shaheen and Toomey for bringing forward this important legislation.”

The Sugar Policy Modernization Act reforms unnecessary sugar regulations to help American companies of all sizes be more competitive by ensuring that they can access sugar when they need it to make a wide-range of products, from breads and pasta sauce to sweet treats and peanut butter and many more. By assuring access to reasonable supplies, the bill will encourage companies to continue manufacturing food and beverages in the United States, not offshore. A Commerce Department study showed that three U.S. manufacturing jobs were lost for every sugar-related job preserved by current sugar subsidies. The bill leaves in place smart protections to ensure the sugar market operates freely without unnecessary government intrusion – and without costs to taxpayers.

Reform of the U.S. sugar program is long overdue. Sugar is the most tightly controlled commodity in the United States and was the only commodity not reformed by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill. The current sugar program forces American consumers and businesses to pay up to $3 billion a year to subsidize very profitable U.S. sugar processors.

“It is way past time that the U.S. sugar program work for all Americans and not a select few,” continued Pasco. “We encourage the House and Senate to advance the Sugar Policy Modernization Act quickly for the benefit of Americans across the country.”